The cleats and bat Araki used when he recorded his 2,000th career hit will be donated to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Tokyo. The items will be put on display at the museum beginning on June 24, 2017.

Masahiro Araki recorded the 2,000th hit of his career during today’s game against the Rakuten Eagles at Nagoya Dome. The hit came in the fourth inning off Manabu Mima. Araki is the forty-eighth player in NPB history to reach the 2,000-hit milestone. Senichi Hoshino (manager when Araki first entered the organization) presented the thirty-nine-year-old with flowers.

The Chunichi Dragons believe Hitoki Iwase (41), Masahiro Araki (38), and Masahiko Morino (38) are still capable of being productive players and plan to offer them contracts for the 2017 season. The Dragons will wait for Iwase to decide if he wants to continue playing or not.

The Dragons also believe Dayan Viciedo is an integral part of the team. He is also interested in returning. The two sides are expected to reach an agreement for the 2017 season.

Masahiro Araki fouled a pitch off his left calf during a game against the Yokohama Bay Stars on August 7 and suffered a bruise. He aggravated it while playing defense in the second inning of Saturday’s game against the Hiroshima Carp at Nagoya Dome — he was replaced by Anderson Hernandez after Brad Eldred’s at bat. The Chunichi Dragons are planning to take him off the active roster.

Araki aggravated both his left calf and his lower back (chronic). He was treated at a hospital after he was removed from Saturday’s game against the Carp. It is uncertain if he will be able to return to the active roster this season.

Masahiro Araki fouled a ball off the area under his left knee (perhaps the calf) during his second at bat in Sunday’s (August 7) game against the Yokohama Bay Stars at Yokohama Stadium. He was able to finish the at bat (flied out to left), but was replaced on defense in the bottom-half of the inning.

Araki told reporters he was planning to play the entire game, but was told after he returned to the dugout that he was going to be substituted.

Masahiro Araki stole his 370th career base in the fifth inning of a game against the Yokohama Bay Stars at Yokohama Stadium on August 6 and set a new Chunichi franchise record. The previous record of 369 was set by Morimichi Takagi in 1980.

Hitoki Iwase appeared in his 900th game on August 6. Only two other pitchers have appeared in more games: Tetsuya Yoneda (949) and Masaichi Kaneda (944).

At forty-one years and eight months, Iwase is the older pitcher to reach 900 games. The previous record of thirty-seven years and two months was set by Yoneda. Unlike Yoneda and Kaneda, Iwase appeared as a reliever in all but one game.

Masahiro Araki tied Takeo Yoshizawa’s 1959 Central League record for most consecutive trips to the plate without a hit when he fouled out to first in the first inning of tonight’s game against the Yakult Swallows at Jingu Stadium. It was Araki’s forty-seventh consecutive plate appearance without a hit.

Araki snapped the drought in his next trip to the plate in the third with his first hit (single to center) since June 9.

Araki was presented with flowers after the fifth inning. He is the forty-ninth player in NPB history to reach the milestone and fourth in franchise history, behind Morimichi Takagi, Tatsuhiko Kimata, and Kazuyoshi Tatsunami. Araki played in his first game on May 31, 1997.